Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—either professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime
Mystery narratives require hidden secrets, which over the course of the text are revealed or discovered. Detective fiction is related in that it too narrates the investigation and solution of a crime, but with one important addition.
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—either professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder
Poe's short story “The Gold Bug” is a classic example of one perennially popular type of mystery, the story of a search for lost treasure. In the more sinister field of murder are innumerable tales of roguery involving mystery and crime but without the familiar detective interludes.
Sub-Genres of Mystery and Crime Fiction
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. However, Conan Doyle did model Holmes's methods and mannerisms on those of Dr. Joseph Bell, who had been his professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School.
A strong hook: A great mystery should invite the reader to try to solve the crime, and a great opening is critical to piquing their interest. A mystery should start with just enough information about the crime to build intrigue from the first line.
The traditional elements of the detective story are: (1) the seemingly perfect crime; (2) the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points; (3) the bungling of dim-witted police; (4) the greater powers of observation and superior mind of the detective; and (5) the startling and unexpected denouement,
Main character who is a detective who sets out to solve a mystery. Suspects and their motives; these must be weighed and evaluated. Overt Clues about the crime are presented. Hidden Evidence is presented, i.e., essential details are offered in such a way that they seem unimportant.
Suspects and their motives; these must be weighed and evaluated. Overt Clues about the crime are presented. Hidden Evidence is presented, i.e., essential details are offered in such a way that they seem unimportant. Inference Gaps—mysteries, by their very nature, do not tell the whole story.
Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle killed off Holmes in a final battle with the criminal mastermind Professor James Moriarty in "The Final Problem" (published 1893, but set in 1891), as Conan Doyle felt that "my literary energies should not be directed too much into one channel." However, the reaction of the public surprised Doyle very much.